In stunning testimony that will batter Boeing’s already sagging reputation around the world, a witness at a U.S. Senate hearing said the company is “putting out defective airplanes.”
CNN reports that two Senate committee hearings were held on 18APR on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., with witnesses “questioning how the company builds airplanes and the safety of those planes.”
The network said one of the key witnesses was Boeing engineer Sam Salehpour, a whistleblower who claims he’s been threatened for bringing safety concerns to his managers over several years.
In written testimony, Salehpour said that he contacted Richard Blumenthal, a U.S. senator, “because I genuinely believe that the safety problems I have observed at Boeing, if not addressed, could result in a catastrophic failure of a commercial airplane that would lead to the loss of hundreds of lives,” The Guardian reports.
“I have serious concerns about the safety of the 787 and 777 aircraft and I’m willing to take on professional risk to talk about them,” Salehpour said in his opening statement. He said when he raised concerns, “I was ignored. I was told not to create delays. I was told, frankly, to shut up.”
"I have analyzed Boeing's own data to conclude that the company is taking manufacturing shortcuts on the 787 program that may significantly reduce the airplane safety and the lifecycle," Salehpour testified, according to ABC News.
Boeing said it had “taken important steps to foster a safety culture” since 2020 but added in a statement: “We know we have more work to do and we are taking action across our company.”
CNN said Boeing issued a statement later in the day defending the safety of its planes. In 13 years of service, the 787 fleet has safely transported more than 850 million passengers on more than 4.2 million flights, while the 777 fleet has safely flown more than 3.9 billion passengers around the world.
“Boeing is fully confident in the 787 Dreamliner because of the comprehensive work done to ensure the quality and long-term safety of the aircraft. Claims about the structural integrity of the 787 are inaccurate,” the company said in a statement on its website.
“The issues raised have been subject to rigorous engineering examination under U.S. Federal Aviation Administration oversight. This analysis has validated that the aircraft will maintain its durability and service life over several decades, and these issues do not present any safety concerns,” Boeing said.
“Boeing continues to monitor these issues under established regulatory protocols and encourages all employees to speak up when issues arise. Retaliation is strictly prohibited at Boeing.”
“Under FAA oversight, we have painstakingly inspected and reworked airplanes and improved production quality to meet exacting standards that are measured in the one hundredths of an inch,” the company said. “We are fully confident in the safety and durability of the 787 Dreamliner. We are fully confident in the safety of the 777, which remains the most successful widebody airplane family in aviation history.”
